This site is an effort by many city, county, tribal, state and federal agencies to coordinate and aggregate information for Oregon communities affected by wildfire smoke. The information is posted here by the agencies themselves while volunteers built and are maintaining the page.

Oregon Smoke Information

Map Notes:

The map above is not able to show all state air quality monitors. To see the whole set, go to the left column, under Hot Links and click on DEQ Air Quality map which will bring up a map with many additional state monitors. Round icons represent permanent state air quality monitors, triangular icons represent temporary smoke monitors (when deployed).

Monday, September 15, 2014

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

News Release

Release Date: September 15, 2014

Contacts:

Greg Svelund, DEQ, 541-633-2008

Air quality in Portland, Salem and parts of Willamette Valley unhealthy due to wildfire smoke

Impacted areas include Portland, Salem, Tigard, Albany, Corvallis and others; residents should take precautions as air quality is expected to remain poor over the next 48 hours

Oregon DEQ urged people to pay attention to air quality and their health Monday after smoke from a 2,300 acre wildfire near Estacada brought moderate or unhealthy air to many communities from Salem to Portland. People with asthma and other respiratory conditions should take precautions to protect themselves as long as air quality remains unhealthy.

People with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children, are advised to stay indoors. Poor air quality conditions are a health threat and should be avoided by all residents in smoky communities. Remember, local smoke levels can rise and fall rapidly depending on weather factors, including wind direction.

During wildfire smoke events, DEQ urges residents to take the following precautions:

·Be aware of smoke concentrations in your area and avoid the places with highest concentrations.

·Avoid smoke either by leaving the area or protecting yourself by staying indoors, and by closing windows and doors

·Avoid strenuous outdoor activity in smoky conditions.

! ·People exposed to smoky conditions and who suffer from asthma or other respiratory problems should follow their breathing management plans or contact their healthcare providers.

· How healthy is the air in your community? Check DEQ’s Air Quality Index to see real-time air monitoring data from monitors placed around Oregon.

What if your community doesn’t have an air quality monitor? Monitoring locations are limited and pollution levels may be higher in some areas, especially those closer to a wildfire.

Conduct a visual assessment: People can conduct a visual assessment of nearby smoke to quickly get a sense of air quality levels. Generally, if you can see up to 15 miles, the air quality is probably good. If you can see less than one mile, the air quality is very unhealthy and everyone should avoid outdoor activities. Refer to the descriptions below for more information based on how far you can see in various conditions:

Between 5-15 miles: Air quality is moderate and beginning to deteriorate, and is generally healthy, except possibly for smoke sensitive persons. The general public should avoid prolonged exposure if conditions are smoky to the point where visibility is closer to the 5 mile range.

If under 5 miles: The air quality is unhealthy for young children, adults over age 65, pregnant women, and people with heart and/or lung disease, asthma or other respiratory illness. These people should minimize outdoor activity.

If under 3 miles: The air quality is unhealthy for everyone. Young children, adults over age 65, pregnant women, and people with heart and/or lung disease, asthma or other respiratory illness should avoid all outdoor activities.

If under 1 mile: The air quality is very unhealthy, and in some cases may be hazardous. Everyone should avoid all outdoor activities.

Webcam Links

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

We encourage posting of your comments and concerns on this blog so we can better serve you. Please click the comments area at the bottom of each blog post. We will make every effort to respond to your comments within 24 hours. We appreciate your patience as we find the most knowledgable person to answer your question.